Performance Management

Series: Performance is only as good as the evidence indicates.

Why does El Cerrito pay the City Manager over $235,000 plus generous benefits and perks just to have a pulse?

Scott Hanin, who served as the City Manager at that time, announced his retirement, effective at the end of the calendar year 2018. In response to this, the City Council initiated the process of selecting his successor and decided to interview Karen Pinkos, the dedicated and experienced Assistant City Manager, for the position. Ms. Pinkos had a 17-year tenure with the City, initially starting as Assistant to the City Manager and steadily advancing to the role of Assistant City Manager.

The City Council unanimously appointed Karen Pinkos as the new City Manager. This decision reflected their confidence in her abilities and commitment to the community.

It’s worth noting that the City’s contract with the City Manager entails several substantial benefits, including an attractive salary, comprehensive benefits, various perks, and a severance package. Notably, the contract lacks specific performance requirements, with the only expectation being that Ms. Pinkos maintains compliance with the law and continues to be active in her role.

The contract was extended through the end of calendar year 2023. To date, there are ZERO requirements for the City Manager’s performance. There’s nothing in the contract that requires her to perform the fundamental requirements of a Chief Executive Officer.

Any Chief Executive including the El Cerrito City Manager should be held to a minimum level of performance.

Managing a City Manager’s performance involves several key steps:

1. Setting Clear Expectations: Define the City Manager’s role, responsibilities, and performance metrics. These should align with the city’s strategic goals and service-level agreements.

2. Regular Performance Reviews: Conduct regular evaluations to assess the CM’s performance against established criteria. These reviews should be conducted quarterly and eventually annually.

3. Goal Setting: Collaboratively set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals with the CM. These goals should tie into the city’s objectives. 

4. Feedback and Communication: Maintain open and honest communication with the CM. Provide constructive feedback and encourage them to seek input from the council, executives, employees, FAB and the public

5. Accountability: Hold the CM accountable for their actions and decisions. Ensure they are aligned with the city’s performance standards

6. Compensation and Incentives: Linking compensation and incentives to performance outcomes. This can motivate the CM to achieve established goals.

7. Professional Development: Support the CM’s growth by providing professional development and training opportunities. 

8. Succession Planning: Develop a succession plan to ensure a smooth transition if the CM’s performance falters or they decide to leave. 

9. Board Oversight: The City Council oversees CM performance and makes necessary decisions, including retention or replacement. 

10. Adaptability: Be prepared to adapt the performance management process as needed to address changing business conditions and strategic priorities.

Ultimately, effective CM performance management is a dynamic process that requires ongoing attention and collaboration between the CM and the Council.

While the principle that public employees should serve the community is widely accepted, its implementation can vary from one country or jurisdiction to another. It’s essential for governments and communities to establish clear expectations, mechanisms for accountability, and opportunities for feedback to ensure that public employees fulfill their roles effectively and in the best interests of the public.

However, city leaders are clearly out of touch and have behaved irresponsibly for so long that they think it is a Commonplace practice of incompetence and abuse.

The city plans a ballot measure requesting more taxes. Before El Cerrito gets another taxpayer bailout, reforms need to be implemented to make the agency more accountable to taxpayers.

Here’s how you can help:

• Write to the City Council and urge them to add performance standards to the next contract
  • Councilperson Gabe Quinto gquinto@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  • Councilperson Carolyn Wysinger cywysinger@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  • Councilperson Tessa Rudnick trudnick@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  • Mayor Lisa Motoyama lmotoyama@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  • Councilperson Paul Fadelli pfadelli@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
• Share this post with other residents.
• Attend Tuesday’s City Council Meeting and comment.